Monday, June 17, 2013

Military Monday – Henry Sloas, a Disloyal Citizen

While
conducting research on the siblings of my 2nd great-grandfather
James H. Burton (1822-1905), I found FindAGrave Memorial #5714647 for Henry
Sloas, the husband of Mary Burton, my 2nd great-grandaunt. According to the memorial,
Henry died of typhoid fever on 28 October 1863 while imprisoned at Camp Chase
in Ohio and is buried in an unmarked grave at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery
in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.

The
memorial gave some information about an incident during the Civil War in which Henry was
believed to have been involved. Click here
to read the account.

Based on what I could find about the Henry Sloas who served in the 48th
Virginia Infantry, I believe that was a different man. However, after some digging around in the Confederate
records on Fold3, I found the following document on a hearing before a
military commission in Louisa, Kentucky, which resulted in Henry Sloas being sent to Camp Chase just a few short months before his death.

"Louisa Ky

Proceedings of Military

Commission held at

Louisa Easter[n] Ky.

in the case of

Henry Sloas a

Disloyal citizen

Recd. C. C. May 16th
1843."

"Case of Henry Sloas.

John C. Porter, on oath states that he
arrested Sloas, because I considered him a disloyal citizen and because I
believe he had his large gun out and buskwhacked [sic] Gen. G W. Morgan cvl.[?]
last fall. I know him to be a very strong rebel. He frequently harbored the
rebels, and was reported to be in the habit of carrying information to them. I
heard him say at a log rolling, that the first Union men that came about his
house, he be damned if he wouldn't make one less of them. When I asked him, the
other day, for his gun, he said he had not had it for a month, but when I
raised my gun and cocked it he showed me wher [sic] it was. It was further
reported that he was one of the men who dug the hole to put Huff and others who
had were murdered last winter.

(In answer to prisoner) I have heard you
this this [sic] was a war for negro equality, and that if any party was right
it was the Jeff. Davis party.

The commission Recommend him to be sent to
Camp Chase.

Capt. John Dalzell A Brown Jr Let. Col. and

Judge Advc Mil Com Protem Pres.

The prisoner denies every assertion of the
witness and affirms that he prove by the miners' own mother[?] that he has
lied_"